Walks of Life
by xhumanfilthx
Summary: Bella, the bullied girl that comes from a poor family, finds a savior in the gorgeous blonde who just moved to town. But it seems like she's hiding something... I have a second chapter finished but I'm uncertain about posting it, or continuing this in general. If people like this chapter I'll post the second and continue this story.
1. Chapter 1

The air was cold and damp when I stepped outside of my house to walk to school. My mother and I lived in a rundown trailer park on the outskirts of the little town we lived in. My mother worked as a waitress at a local diner but didn't make enough to afford to live anywhere else. I couldn't afford a car and the bus didn't come this far out of town so I was forced to walk. The holes in my jacket didn't help but there was nothing I could do about it so I toughed it out and hoped that it didn't start raining before I could make it to the school.

After an hour long walk I finally made it to the school. I was one of the first kids there and that's how I liked it. Even though we lived in a small town, the kids I went to school with still liked to bully me for having holes in my clothes or for not having a car. I hated every second I was forced to spend in this place but I knew there was nothing I could ever do to get out. My mom was too poor to afford to send me to college so I didn't even bother applying. I was doomed to spend the rest of my life scraping by in this small town. I accepted this fate a long time ago.

Today was supposed to be the day that the new kids would start school. A few weeks back a new family moved to town. The father accepted an offer to work at the hospital here and, according to the gossip, was rich enough to have a mansion built outside of town. I heard all of this by listening in to the conversations other kids had around me. I wasn't as excited as the other students about the new students coming today. I was afraid that they would treat me the same way that everyone else did. I didn't need any more abuse than what I already got from the others.

I walked into my first class, English, and took my seat in the back. I was usually able to get to class first and have a quiet moment to myself before the other kids got there and started to make fun of me. The only respite I got were these moments and lunch, when I could go outside and be alone. I avoided the lunch room because I didn't want to be bullied and because I couldn't afford the school lunch. It was just best that I spent the hour by myself.

The other kids started coming in, some laughing and talking to their friends and others just coming in quietly. The teacher, Ms. Banks, came in with them and went to her desk to get today's lesson prepared. I was looking down at my book when I felt something hit my head. _And so it starts,_ I thought to myself. Looking up from my book, I saw Mike Newton smirking at me and his gang of buddies snickering. I shook my head and ignored them. I tried to focus on my book but they kept throwing pieces of paper at me.

"Hey Bella, nice jacket. Where'd you get it, the dumpster?" Mike called out. His friends began howling with laughter and some of the other kids in the class snickered with them. I ignored him as best as I could. Just then the door to the class opened and in walked one of the most beautiful girls that I have ever seen. She had long, straight blonde hair and pouty lips. Her eyes were a smoldering gold that looked perfect with her pale complexion. She was tall and confident, judging by the way she strutted into the class and up to the teacher's desk to hand her a slip of paper. As she was walking by, Mike whistled at her and made kissing noises. She looked at him once, scoffed and kept going to the teacher's desk.

"Ah, you must be Rosalie Hale. I was told that you would be joining us. I'm Ms. Banks and I'm looking forward to having you in my class. Please take a seat by Bella in the back. Bella, please raise your hand." As I raised my hand Rosalie locked eyes with me.

The entire world seemed to melt away when I looked into her gorgeous eyes. I swear my heart stopped beating for a moment and then picked up at triple speed. I don't know how long we stared at each other but Ms. Banks eventually cleared her throat and the trance we both seemed to have been in was broken. She walked, or maybe stalked was a better word, to the desk that was next to mine. I was blushing a deep red when she pulled out her chair and turned to face me.

"Hi. I'm Rosalie. It's lovely to meet you." She purred. I honestly thought that my insides had melted when I heard her voice. It was the sweetest sound I had ever heard and I wanted to drown in it for the rest of my life.

"Um yeah, same. I'm Bella." I blushed even harder at that. Of course she knew my name, the teacher told her to sit next to me. I felt like such an idiot, at least I did until she spoke again.

"Bella…what a pretty name. It fits an enchanting girl like you." It seemed like her voice took on a sultry tone when she said that and it definitely didn't help to ease my blush. She smirked at my reaction and turned to face the teacher. I did the same and spent the rest of the class trying to subtly steal glances at her when I thought she wouldn't notice. From what I could tell she was wearing designer everything. I guess the rumors were true and her parents did have money. But I didn't judge her because of it.

The class went by slowly with me being painfully aware of every movement Rosalie made next to me. Finally the bell rang, signaling the end of my torture. Right as I was beginning to gather my things, Rosalie turned to me and flashed a dazzling smile.

"I really hope to have you in some of my other classes, Bella." And with that, Rosalie traipsed across the room and out the door. She left me in a haze of mixed emotions I couldn't even begin to work through. The teacher clearing her throat made me jump back to reality. I blushed profusely and gathered my things and left the class.

The rest of my morning classes went as per usual. I was harassed in most of them, at least until the teacher decided that I had been humiliated enough. The worst thing about this school was that most of the teachers felt the same as the students about me and my mother's situation. They could barely contain their disgust when I would walk into the classroom. All in all, going to school here was hell. I kept praying that I would be able to get through another two years but everyday got harder and harder. No matter what I had to push on. If not for myself, then for my mother. She would never be able to cope without me. I refused to put her in that position.

When my last period before lunch ended, I waited for the rest of the kids to leave the room before heading out into the hallway. Instead of following the other students I turned left and headed towards the doors that lead to the exit closest to the woods that surrounded the school. One thing I loved about Forks, Washington was how green everything was. It seemed like this town was its own little rainforest. On my way I ran into someone that I dreaded seeing every single day that I came here. As I rounded the last corner I came face to face with Lauren Mallory.

Lauren wasn't your typical small town girl. Her parents were pretty well off and she took every opportunity that she could to flaunt all of the nice things that her parents bought her. She also took great pleasure in finding new ways to insult me or to make my life even worse in general.

"Well look what we have here. Are you headed somewhere, Bella? Maybe off to dig in a dumpster for lunch?" I tried to walk around her but she sidestepped so that she would stay in front of me. I was trapped and there was nothing I could do. I would just have to endure whatever torment she deemed fitting for today.

"Please Lauren, just leave me alone." I practically whispered. For all of my faults, my worst one was not being able to stick up for myself. When people like Lauren bullied me I just rolled over and hoped that it would end soon. Another thing I hated about Lauren: she didn't mind physically hurting me too.

"Did I say you could speak to me? I don't think I did. How dare someone as low as you speak to me." She reached forward and grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked it so that I stumbled right in front of her. I cried out from the pain of having my hair pulled so close to my scalp.

"Please stop it. That hurts." My voice cracked and I could already feel the telltale burning of oncoming tears behind my eyes. I didn't want to look even weaker in front of her but there was nothing I could do.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson about respecting your betters, Swan." She began to drag me towards the nearest female bathroom. I could only imagine what torture awaited me in there. Right as she was about to open the door a voice called out from behind us.

"Just what exactly do you think you're doing with her?" The voice sounded livid. It also sent chills down my spine. I had only met her today and talked to her once but I felt that I would recognize that voice anywhere. We turned to see Rosalie Hale standing a couple yards down the hallway with her hands on her hips and her face screaming murder. Flanking her were a short, pixie-like brunette who could only be described as waifish and a tall redhead who was literally sex in heels. Her long, flame red hair reached her waist and was loosely curled. The three of them made a very intimidating group indeed. At that moment I knew that I was saved.

"What's it to you?" Lauren spit back. She was visibly seething at being interrupted in her favorite activity: bullying poor Bella. Her grip on Bella's hair tightened, causing the girl to yell out at the pain. Rosalie's eyes, which were such a beautiful golden color in class, were flat black. She stalked towards Lauren with a fire in her eyes that would have made many grown men cry. Lauren took an involuntary step back, causing her to tug on Bella's hair.

"I'm only going to tell you this once, you hear me? Let go of her and I may let you keep that hand." Rosalie's voice was that of a destroying angel. It still sounded like music but it spelled death for all those who would disobey her at that moment in time. Lauren immediately released her hold on Bella's hair and attempted to raise herself up to her full height in an effort to intimidate the other girl but her shaking ruined any effect she might have had.

"Back off new girl. This has nothing to do with you. So just turn around and go back to the lunch room." She turned around and grabbed Bella's arm and tried to drag her towards the bathroom again only to be stopped by vice grip on her upper arm. She turned to see Rosalie invading her personal space.

"I said to let go of her and I meant it, you bitch. I swear to you that I will end you and feel no remorse. So I suggest you take your ugly ass back to the lunch room before I do something my parents wouldn't be happy about." The threat was very clear and Lauren seemed to consider her options carefully before huffing and heading down the hallway. Not without one last glare at Bella and Rosalie.

"Are you okay, mon amour?" Rosalie's French was spot on, without the hint of an accent. Bella was too busy staring at Rosalie with a mixture of awe and gratitude. The tears that had been threatening to fall finally spilled over and she threw herself at Rosalie with a sob. Her heart stuttered and picked up in double time when she felt Rosalie wrap her arms around her back. Rosalie was cooing into Bella's ear to calm her down.

"Shush beautiful. You're safe now. I won't let her hurt you." Rosalie was stroking Bella's hair and holding her tight to her body as she let Bella cry on her shoulder. Her designer shirt would be ruined but she didn't care. Her only concern was keeping Bella safe right now.

"T-thanks, Rosalie." Bella hiccupped. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't saved me." Bella's eyes were lit with the fire of burning gratitude and she could feel the admiration welling up inside of herself. Rosalie, a total stranger, had saved her from someone she had known her entire life. Bella stepped back and gave Rosalie one last glance before she turned around and began to head to the exit.

"Bella, where are you going?" Rosalie called after her. She didn't know if she could let Bella go off on her own after she saw what just happened. Her instincts were telling her to never leave Bella's side again but she knew that that was impractical. Even so, she didn't want to let Bella go so soon after the incident.

"It's ok, Rosalie. I just need to be by myself. Thank you again." And with that Bella opened the door to the outside and strode across the student parking lot towards the woods. Rosalie looked after her until she couldn't see the girl anymore. Her heart felt like it was breaking in two.

"Rosalie, what was that? Why did you save that girl?" Victoria, the redhead, asked. Her tone expressed her bewilderment at the situation she had just witnessed. The only thought she could form was that the way Rosalie had defended Bella reminded her of the way mates defended one another. At the moment it all clicked and she gasped.

"Rosalie…did you…?" She let the sentence trail off, knowing Rosalie would understand. Rosalie looked at her with her eyes the lovely gold hue again and simply nodded. She turned her head back towards the direction Bella had walked off in and sighed. She was in for a long school year here in Forks.


	2. Chapter 2

Rosalie got into the Volvo with the rest of her family. Today had been interesting to say the least and she was caught up in her thoughts, ignoring the joking and talking the rest of the Cullen children were doing. _I'm mated to a human_ , she thought. Her mind was spinning, trying to come to terms with this new development. They hadn't even been in Washington for more than a week and she had already possibly messed everything up. Their treaty with the dogs on the reservation was quite specific: they couldn't bite another human or else the treaty would be off. This was going to create a problem when she inevitably had to change Bella. But they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

"You know we need to tell Carlisle and Esme, right?" Edward, forever the sensible one, said. He had been listening to Rosalie's thoughts and had caught a glimpse of her mate. He was incredibly happy for Rosalie but was disturbed by the way the rest of the kids in school seemed to treat her. He had heard what they had been thinking about her and it shocked him how much hatred they seemed to harbor for a girl that had never done anything to them. He was baffled by it and it made him angry. Jasper, who was beside Edward in the passenger seat, stiffened when he felt the anger rolling off of Edward.

"What has you so angry, Edward?" Jasper, without Edward's gift, had no idea that Rosalie had mated to a human. He was confused by the feelings coming from Rosalie and he couldn't quite place the feeling.

"The way they treat that Bella girl is horrific. And they do it for no reason other than because she's poor…they're barbaric." Rosalie started growling, not at Edward but at the mention of the way this town treated her mate. She wouldn't allow them to hurt her, she would kill them all before she let that happen. Her emotions were taking a dark turn and Jasper put out waves of calm to keep it from getting too out of hand. In the mirror Jasper watched Rosalie relax into the seat and give him an appreciative nod.

They pulled into the driveway that lead through the woods to the Cullen house. As the trees thinned and they came into the clearing the house came into view. It was massive but it was something that they all had gotten used to. When your "father" has been alive longer than the country you lived in, it wasn't hard to collect a lot of money. Especially when there was hardly anything for him to spend it on.

The car had barely come to a stop before Rosalie was out the door and running into the house and into her room. Edward shared a look with Jasper, Alice and Victoria. Jasper quirked his eyebrow and looked at Edward.

"So why was she so angry in the car after you said what you said?" Jasper had been confused by Rosalie's attitude ever since she had gotten in the car and had been dying to ask his mate. It hit him the second he had that thought and he gasped.

"She's mated? To who? That Bella girl you said something about?" Jasper's eyes were as wide as saucers but inside he was elated. They had been waiting Rosalie to find her mate for quite some time now. She hid it very well from the others but she couldn't hide it from Jasper. She was growing bitter living with three happy couples and she just wanted a mate of her own. It seemed that she had found that in this small Washington town. He was excited for her and couldn't wait to tell Carlisle and Esme this wonderful news. He knew Esme would be thrilled to hear it because she had suffered the most seeing Rosalie slowly grow unhappy.

"Yes but the way the town treats Bella is horrendous and it may cause Rosalie to do something stupid. We need to find a way to protect Bella from those little monsters. I won't let my sister's mate be bullied the way she is." Edward's eyes flashed with protective rage as he spoke. He wouldn't let this Bella be hurt if he could stop it.

"I think we should go discuss this in the house with Carlisle and Esme. They need to know that this has happened." Alice said. She was holding Victoria's hand and tugged her towards the front door after saying that. Jasper and Edward shared a glance before following them into the house. Carlisle and Esme were waiting for them in the living room with questioning looks on their faces. It seemed that Rosalie hadn't said much when she rushed into the house.

"What happened to Rosalie? She ran in her and up to her room without saying a word to either of us. Is she alright?" Esme, ever the worrier, said when the rest of her children entered the house.

"She's fine but she found her mate at school." Jasper said while looking at Edward. Edward, thankfully, took the hint and started to explain the situation to them.

"Turns out that Rosalie is mated to a human girl that lives here named Bella. Bella isn't liked very much here. Almost everyone, even some of the teachers, take every chance they can to make fun of or hurt her simply because of her family being poor. She lives on the other side of town in a rundown trailer with her mother. She walks to school every day." Edward could see Esme's heart break the more he spoke about how Bella lived. It hurt him too to know that his sister's mate was struggling as hard as she was. Just then they heard Rosalie's door open and she flashed down the stairs to stand in front of him, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Why didn't you tell me that she walked home?! She doesn't need to be walking out in this weather!" Rosalie was livid that she wasn't told that Bella was forced to walk home from school. Before she could rush off to go save the girl, presumably, Edward caught her arm.

"She'll be fine, I had Alice check. But we need to talk about this and what the implications are for the treaty with the wolves. They won't just accept that you've mated to her. They'll only see you as a threat to her." Edward put his hands up in a placating manner after his last sentence because of Rosalie's growl at being called a threat to her mate.

"I know that you aren't but they don't know how mating works for us. They hate our kind, Rosalie. I doubt they'll be able to look past that hate." Edward was being reasonable and Rosalie hated it. She just wanted to sprint out into the forest, find Bella and run away with her. At the same time, she wanted to eliminate the perceived threat of the wolves to her mate. She was giving Jasper a hard time of dealing with all of the conflicting emotions she was feeling.

"So what do we do? Do we tell them?" Rosalie huffed in annoyance and collapsed into the loveseat closest to her. She looked at Carlisle in questioning, waiting for him to answer her questions.

"I believe it would be best to keep this development to ourselves for now. We can't be sure of how the pack will react to you mating to a human so we'll tread with caution. With that being said, we're so happy for you Rosalie. We can't wait to meet her." Carlisle was beaming at Rosalie and if she could blush she would have. She hadn't even thought of bringing Bella to meet her parents but she knew that eventually she would have to.

"I think there's something else we need to decide regarding Bella, Rosalie." Edward had a thoughtful look on his face. "From what I've heard, the students don't treat her very well. You stopped one girl from hurting her just today. I think at least one of us needs to be in every one of her classes to make sure no one hurts her."

"Someone tried to hurt her?" Jasper looked absolutely murderous. He had never taken kindly to bullies and this was no different. It was made worse by the fact that it was his baby sister's mate that people were hurting. He wouldn't stand for it and he was going to make sure it ended.

"Yes. I found a girl, Lauren Mallory, trying to drag her into a bathroom by her hair. She's lucky I didn't drain her dry right there." If Jasper looked murderous, Rosalie looked like a destroying angel at that moment. Even though it was over, she couldn't help but wonder how much abuse Bella had suffered before she had found her. She felt like it was her failure for not being able to protect her own mate. But she knew that that was ridiculous because they just met.

"Why do they bully her?" Esme looked appalled. Out of all of them, she had the kindest heart and couldn't fathom the pain people inflicted upon others for seemingly no reason. Sometimes it seemed that she had too big of a heart but they all loved her for it.

"Because she's poor. Or at least that's what I gathered from the thoughts of the kids in school today. They all feel better about themselves by hurting her. Some of the teachers even give her a hard time and those that don't never stick up for her. She has no one in that school to defend her. Well she didn't until now." It warmed Rosalie's dead heart to see all of her siblings nod their heads in agreement to Edward's words. She was so thankful that her family immediately accepted her mate even though they hadn't met her. She couldn't have asked for a better family than this one. She smiled up at all of them and the elation on her face was clear for all to see.

"I love all of you. I'm going to go make sure Bella got home safe. I'll let you guys know what I find when I get back." And with that she was out of the house, headed towards the school to pick up and follow Bella's scent. It didn't take her long, Bella's scent called out to her baser instincts. She followed the trail through the town and past the city limits to a lonely trailer nestled on the edge of the forest on the opposite side of the town. Seeing the trailer almost broke Rosalie's heart. It looked like it was falling apart. There was a tree that was conveniently placed for Rosalie to perch in and get a glimpse inside of the house. What she saw inside would have made her cry if she still could. Bella was sitting on the floor doing her homework by the light of a flashlight. It didn't seem as though there was power inside of the trailer. _Does Bella live like this,_ Rosalie thought with horror. There were no lights on in the trailer which led Rosalie to believe that the power had gotten shut off. Rosalie wanted nothing more than to be able to go save Bella from this but she knew she couldn't. Not yet, at least. She vowed to herself that she would.

Just then, Rosalie heard the sound of shoes crunching on gravel and she spotted a middle-aged, haggard looking woman walking towards the house. Rosalie hid herself deeper in the forest to keep from being seen and watched the woman walk up to the front door and unlock it with a key from under the mat. She walked in and Rosalie had to shift her position to be able to see into the trailer. Bella looked up from her homework and smiled the most beautiful smile Rosalie had ever seen and she was incredibly jealous that the smile wasn't directed at her. A crunching sound let her know that in her momentary jealousy she had crushed a chunk of the tree she was perched in.

"Hey mom. How was work today? Here, let me get your bags." Bella got up and helped her mother with her bags and lead her to the couch. She went into the kitchen and got her mom a glass of water.

"Thanks honey. Work is work. I'm so tired, I was wondering if you could take the EBT card and go to the store for groceries? I paid the electric bill so the power should be back on by the time you get home." Bella nodded at her mom and put her shoes and jacket on. Even from her position in the trees Rosalie could see the holes in Bella's jacket and it hurt her heart that Bella would have to walk all the way to the store and back wearing it. At that moment she realized that she couldn't let her. She hopped out of the tree and sprinted back to the Cullen house. She went in the front door and immediately headed to the garage.

"Rosalie where are you going?" Esme questioned. She got up and followed Rosalie to the garage to see her getting into her red Mercedes. Rosalie barely spared Esme a glance as she started her car and opened the garage door.

"I'm about to go give Bella a ride to the store. I can't let her walk, it's too cold outside." And with that, Rosalie took off down the winding Cullen driveway and headed towards Bella's house. She made it in record time and was able to see Bella had already started walking to the store. Rosalie made sure to stay out of sight until Bella was closer to the main roads. When she thought it was safe, Rosalie pulled up next to a shivering Bella and rolled down her passenger window.

"Bella? What are you doing walking in this cold weather? Come on and get in. Where are you headed?" Bella had stopped in surprise at seeing Rosalie sitting in a car idling next to her. She looked towards the town and knew that it would be another hour's walk to get to the store if she didn't accept the ride. So she leaned down and opened the passenger door to Rosalie's car and got in. The seats were heated leather and the car felt like heaven to Bella. She looked over at Rosalie gratefully.

"Thank you so much for giving me a ride. I was just headed to the store to get groceries." Rosalie was lost in the scent of Bella. It was so unique and it was causing a stir to Rosalie's insides. It wasn't a feeding hunger but a different kind. One that left her confused and, if she was being completely honest with herself, incredibly aroused.

"It's no problem at all, Bella. I can't let you walk when it's this cold outside." Rosalie began heading to the store and turned the radio on for background noise. She pretended to keep her eyes on the road but was secretly stealing glances at the enchanting girl in the passenger seat. She was over the moon that this magnificent creature was hers. _All mine_ , she purred in her head. They stayed in silence until they got to the store and Rosalie parked the car. Bella gathered her things and opened the passenger door.

"Thanks for the ride Rosalie. It means a lot to me." Bella got out and closed the door. Rosalie shut the car off and got out with her. Bella looked confused that she was getting out of the car too.

"Did you think I was going to leave you here? I told you I can't let you walk out in this weather. I'll take you home after you shop." Bella blushed and looked away. Rosalie didn't understand why she was acting the way she was until Bella spoke next.

"You don't have to do that Rosalie. I'll be fine walking home." Rosalie realized at that moment that Bella was embarrassed and didn't want her to see where she lived or see that she had to shop with an EBT card. It broke Rosalie's heart that her Bella was ashamed of something she had no control over and it made her even angrier at the people in this town who had treated her the way she was afraid Rosalie would treat her.

"Bella…is this about you not having money?" Rosalie asked hesitantly. She needed Bella to understand that she didn't care about her financial status. She was only concerned with Bella's health. Bella blushed and looked down. Rosalie could smell the tears as they built up in Bella's eyes.

"I'm guessing someone in the school told you?" She sniffed and tried to subtly wipe the tears from her eyes. Rosalie walked around the car and pulled Bella into a tight hug. Bella immediately relaxed into Rosalie's embrace and tried to keep from sobbing.

"I heard all of the nasty things people were saying about you today and I just want you to know that they're awful for saying those things. You are a gorgeous girl who is sweet and kind. Don't let the actions of small minded people shape your view of the world. I would never judge you for something you can't control. Don't ever feel like you can't tell me or show me something because you're embarrassed." Rosalie was rubbing Bella's back the whole time she was speaking and she didn't stop until Bella started to pull away. Instead of making her cry less, it seemed that her words had prompted Bella to cry harder. Rosalie held the girl as she cried in her arms and thought about how she could take her revenge out on everyone who had ever put her beloved Bella down.

"Thank you Rosalie. That means more to me than you will ever know." Bella sniffed again and Rosalie reached into her purse and pulled out some tissues for her. Bella smiled and blew her nose into one and then looked at Rosalie with a somewhat hopeful smile.

"So you'll seriously shop with me and then take me home?" Bella asked, still unsure of how to handle this type of kindness. Rosalie nodded and offered her hand to Bella which she took. They began walking to the store and Rosalie couldn't help but think that their hands fit together perfectly. Little did she know that Bella was thinking the same thing.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rosalie sat in her lounge in the bay window that looked out from her room into the backyard and over the river. She was transfixed with thoughts of Bella and how beautiful she was. She was also consumed with the desire to kill Lauren and all the other students that dared to make fun of her mate. As she went along that train of thought, she began to growl and shake. Her teeth clenched and her eyes changed from their normal golden hue to a midnight black within seconds. If it wasn't for Jasper she would have leapt out of her window and murdered half the town of Forks.

"Rosalie, you know you can't kill all of them." Jasper had moved into the room unbeknownst to Rosalie while she was caught up in her bloodlust. Although she didn't immediately register Jasper's presence, the effect of her gift took hold of her instantaneously. Her shoulders slumped and her eyes came back to their natural color. She glanced up to Jasper from where his hand rested on her shoulder.

"Thanks, Jasper. I know that I can't but that doesn't mean that I don't want to. You haven't seen the way that they treat her! They're horrible. Even the clerk at the store was rude to her when she was buying her groceries. She was embarrassed to buy her groceries in front of me because she had to pay with an EBT card. She almost cried when the clerk told her the total and she almost had to put half of the stuff back. I had to force her to let me pay for her groceries. If my dead heart could break, it would have then." Rosalie's emotions were changing so rapidly that Jasper was barely able to keep up with them. She really was in this thing deep, and it had only been a day.

Jasper nodded and looked off into the forest, contemplating what Rosalie had just told her. He had caught a few emotions coming from this Bella girl their first day of school. First and foremost was fear. She seemed to be afraid of anything and everything. Second was trepidation; it was almost as if she was waiting for second shoe to drop, so to speak. She seemed to know what to expect from the other students as if she had lived with it her whole life and she may have, Jasper didn't know how long she had lived in this town. He was worried that his sister's mate would never feel good enough for Rosalie and would then reject her because of her own fears. If that happened there was no telling how Rosalie would react. But Jasper knew one thing: it wouldn't be pretty. He had to find a way to increase Bella's value in herself.

"Jasper, what are you thinking about?" Rosalie had noticed that her normally quiet brother had been contemplating something for a little while and she was curious as to what it was. If it concerned her mate she had the right to know.

"This is what I felt from her today." Jasper placed his hand on Rosalie's shoulder again and began to feed Rosalie the feelings that he had caught from Bella. He heard Rosalie suck in her breath and felt the change in her emotions. Her contemplative attitude gave way to one of despair. It was almost as if her feelings were calling out to Jasper. He began to feed her happier emotions, simply to keep her from falling into a pit of depression based simply off of her mate's feelings. "Hey, calm down. You need to focus on building your bond with her. How the other students treat her isn't something we can do anything about at this moment in time. Don't even focus on that. Just focus on getting to know her and soothing her fears of you." Rosalie looked up at Jasper at those words. He knew he shouldn't have said that.

"She's afraid of me?" Rosalie looked broken at that. Jasper shook his head and sighed. This was going to be a little harder than he thought.

"She's afraid of everyone, Rosalie. She's been treated like shit by everyone in this town her whole life, probably. It's going to be hard for her to drop her guard and begin to trust you. You just need to stick it out. Don't be discouraged if she's resistant to your attentions at first. I don't think she's ever had someone care about her. And she doesn't know about the mate bond, so she isn't going to understand why you're so persistent and devoted to her. Just tough it out and she'll come around. Trust me, sis." At Jasper's words, Rosalie perked up. She needed that boost to her confidence and he could feel the gratitude radiating off of her.

"Thanks, Jaz. I needed that." Rosalie gave her brother a one armed hug from where she was sitting and then stood up. She was ready to learn everything she could about her mate. She didn't consider this stalking because she wasn't going to get too close, she just wanted a general idea of how her mate lived. She opened her window and sat perched on the window sill for a moment. She looked back at her brother and sent him a wave of gratitude before dropping out the second story window to land on the ground below. When she hit the ground she took off in the direction if the trailer park where her mate lived. This reminded her of her best friend from when she was a human in Rochester. Vera had come from a poor family, much like Bella, but that hadn't stopped Rosalie from befriending her in school. She was the only one who wasn't mean to her because of her family's wealth. Vera had always treated her like a person, instead of some object to either ogle or despise because of her father's wealth.

As she came up on the trailer she knew Bella lived in, she slowed down. She could hear Bella quietly singing to herself and it stopped her in her tracks. The sound of her mate singing amazed her. She didn't think that she had ever heard a sound more beautiful than that. It took a moment to place the song but once she did she chuckled to herself. Of course her mate had a similar taste in music, another thing she would grow to love about her. She now had another thing to try and talk to Bella about during their English class tomorrow.

Just then she another person speaking to Bella and by their scent it had to be a relative of her. Another whiff told her it was a female. A sister? Or maybe her mother? Once the person spoke Rosalie knew it was her mother.

"Hey honey. How was school today?" Rosalie heard Bella's heartbeat pick up and wondered what was causing it. Was she remembering that girl trying to attack her? Whatever it was, it had Bella stuttering as she tried to answer normally.

"I-it was the same as always. I did meet one of the new kids and she was…nice." Bella's hesitation intrigued Rosalie. Was there something else she wanted to say? She'd have to ask Edward about that tonight. She tuned back in to the conversation to listen to Bella's mother respond.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could afford to move us out of this town. I know how terrible everyone at the school is to you but I don't get enough hours at my job to do anything." It sounded to Rosalie like it broke her heart that she couldn't give Bella better than this and that hurt Rosalie. Neither of them deserved the harassment they got from the people in this town. But for now there was nothing she could do about it. Or was there? Rosalie started to form an idea as she listened to Bella sigh. Maybe she could help just a little bit. Just then she heard the sound of the sink in the trailer turn on.

"I know mom. There's nothing you can do. But at least the new girl I talked to wasn't mean to me. Well, she wasn't mean to me today. She even took me to the store…and she bought our groceries." Rosalie could hear the shame in Bella's voice when she said that. It seemed to her like Bella was ashamed of the circumstances she lived in even though there was nothing she could do about it.

"She paid for our groceries? Why would she do that? Did you forget the EBT card?" Rosalie could hear the bewilderment in her voice. She chuckled to herself when she thought about Bella's face when she had swiped her card at the register before she could even protest. If only Bella knew how much she meant to her. She might understand why it was so easy for Rosalie to help her in any way she could. She had the spent the entire ride back to the trailer park apologizing and promising to pay Rosalie back. Rosalie had simply told Bella that it wasn't necessary. Soon, hopefully, Bella would understand.

"I had the card but I guess I did the math wrong for how much the groceries were going to cost. When Brian told me the total I was looking at what we probably could do without and Rosalie just swiped her card and paid for it. I tried to tell her that I would pay her back but she said she didn't want me to do that…I don't know why she did it. Maybe she just felt sorry for me?" Bella sounded hurt that that might be the reason for what she had done and Rosalie wanted nothing more than to run into the house and tell her that what she did had nothing to do with feeling sorry for her or anything of the sort. She knew she couldn't do that though. She would let Bella know tomorrow that she didn't feel sorry for her, nor did she pity her. She just loved her.

"Well…thank her tomorrow for what she did. Hopefully the rest of the family is as nice as this young lady. From what I heard at work today the father is some world renowned surgeon and when he took the job at Forks Medical he took a really big pay cut. I guess he liked the idea of small town living. What's weird is that Billy didn't come in today for his usual. He hasn't missed a day at the diner in years. I really hope he's alright…" Rosalie was confused for a moment at who this Billy was but then it hit her. Billy Black was the chief of the tribe that lived down on the La Push reservation on the coast. He was the grandson of the chief who had originally made the pact with Carlisle when they first came here to Forks. Now that they were back, the Quileute shape shifters wouldn't be allowed in to Forks. She had completely forgotten about the pact when they moved back. She'd missed the meeting they held with the current generation of wolves today because she had been with Bella. She would have to talk with Carlisle to see if the treaty had changed or if it would accommodate the fact that Bella was her mate.

"Billy didn't show up today? That can't be good. Mom I think he's been at that diner every day since you've started. I think I know why too…" Rosalie heard Bella's mom scoff. Could it be that the Swans were somehow connected to the Quileutes? This could very easily cause tension between them and the wolves. She really needed to talk to Carlisle tonight.

"Oh hush. He just likes the coffee and Sharron's apple pie. He's said so himself." Now it was Bella's turn to scoff. Rosalie could almost imagine Bella throwing her head back to scoff and the image made her smile. Her mate was the most beautiful girl in the world. There wasn't a person on this earth that could hold a candle to her and she meant that.

"Mom you can't actually believe that, can you? Of course he didn't tell you that he goes there for you but I promise you he does. Besides, the coffee there is terrible. You've said so yourself." Rosalie could hear Bella's mom sigh but just as she was about to listen in some more she felt her phone vibrate. She pulled it out and saw that it was a text from Edward.

 _Family meeting in a couple minutes. You on your way back?_ Rosalie sighed. Just when things were starting to get interesting. She quickly told him that she was and put her phone away. She would just have to be left wondering about this possible love interest between her mate's mom and the chief of the wolves. It seemed like there might be something there and she wanted to know everything she could before she brought it up to Carlisle.

Rosalie began to head back to the house and the whole way there her mind was filled with thoughts of Bella and what lay ahead of them. Tomorrow she was going to try and find out more about her. She had to be a person her mate would grow to love. All she hoped for was that Bella would give her a chance and open up. But only time would tell.

As soon as she stepped foot in the house the members of her family all gathered at the kitchen table. Carlisle held the seat at the head of the table, with his wife and mate Esme to sitting to his right. Edward, Carlisle's first born in every sense of the word, sat to Carlisle's left. Jasper, Edward's mate, sat next to him and held his hand under the table. Rosalie loved both of them and how cute they looked together. Emmett sat across from them with Victoria in his lap. Alice sat next to them as Rosalie took the seat at the other end of the table.

"Rosalie, I've heard that you found your mate? Congratulations. We're all excited for you to have her. When are we going to get to meet her?" Carlisle was smiling at her and she laughed. Leave it to her "father" to want to meet her mate before she had even gotten the chance to get to know her. She loved how supportive her family was of her. Everyone wanted nothing but happiness for her and it seemed that she had finally found that happiness.

"Well since she only knows my name and the fact that we're new to town, probably not any time soon." At that Emmett bellowed out a laugh and nearly shook Victoria off of his lap. She made sure to smack him in the back of the head for that. He winced but then his grin returned as he looked at Rosalie.

"Aw come on, Rosie. You haven't gotten in her pants yet? I was sure that's what you were doing at her house." The sound of both Rosalie's and Victoria's hands connecting with his head resonated throughout the house. "Ouch! That one actually hurt." He rubbed the back of his hand and looked suitably chastised.

"You're lucky that's all I did to you, you oaf." Rosalie's glare would've melted anyone else but Emmett was used to being on the receiving end of that glare. Rosalie sighed. She knew Emmett would never change and if she was being honest with herself, she didn't want him to. But she'd never tell him that.

"You might not but I will." Edward sent her a wink after answering her thought. She sent him a glare as well. As much as she loved her brother and his gift, she hated when he did that. He usually didn't say anything about the thoughts he heard in everyone's head but sometimes he would answer their thoughts just to annoy them. Everyone looked confused at what Edward said but he just shook his head. The meeting continued on and Rosalie stayed quiet about the possible connection to the wolves that Bella had but she told them all about her living situation, something that bothered Esme especially. She was one of the most kind-hearted people Rosalie had ever met and to hear about her daughter's mate struggling was something that bothered her deeply. But she knew that there was nothing she could do about it. As the meeting ended, everyone began to go their separate ways. Alice walked up to Rosalie and gave her a hug.

"I'm so happy for you!' Rosalie knew that Alice was sad about still not finding her mate. Despite that, she always tried to be the most cheerful one out of them. Rosalie hugged her back and let her know how much it meant to her.

"Thank you Alice. I know you'll find your mate soon. You're way too amazing to not have a soulmate. Just hang in there." Rosalie then went up to her room to lay on her bed and wait until the morning when they had to go to sleep. Even though she couldn't sleep, she was consumed with thoughts of her mate and the future that lay ahead. For the first time in her entire vampire existence she felt like maybe Carlisle hadn't made a mistake in saving her.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: So the attention this story has been getting has surprised me. I honestly didn't expect anyone to read this, much less all of you reviewing or following this after only 2 chapters. A special shout out to all of you who have favorited this story. I have some big things planned for this and I really can't wait to get everything fleshed out. I have all the pairings set up and I can't wait to introduce my OC. But that is a few chapters out. Please stick with me and review if you like it. Again, thank you. I can't tell you guys how much this means to me. Stay tuned!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Bella woke up to a cold and rainy day, not that it was anything unusual for Forks. She sighed as she rolled out of bed and stood up in her room and tried to force herself to fully wake up. She thought about the dream she had just woken up from. She couldn't remember any specifics but she knew that it was very pleasant and left a warm feeling in her gut. All she could recall was laying on a beach somewhere sunny. She was laying next to someone but she couldn't see them because their very skin was sparkling as though it were made of diamonds. She shook her head and walked over to her closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt which she threw on her bed as she changed into a clean pair of panties and a clean bra. As she finished getting dressed, she heard her mother moving about in the kitchen and before long she smelled coffee brewing. It was the only luxury that either of them indulged in or could afford. They could barely afford to keep gas in the car her mother used to get to and from work. Even though Bella knew there was nothing she or her mother could do to improve their situation she still resented the rest of the kids in her school for what they had. She wished they could all spend one day in her or her mother's shoes, maybe then they wouldn't be so mean to her.

Once she was dressed she walked out of her room and into the kitchen to see her mom sipping from a coffee cup and reading one her worn paperback mystery novels. She had to get them second hand but it was one of the few pleasures she took in life. Bella couldn't blame her, they gave her an escape from their depressing reality for a little bit and Bella would never fault her mother for wanting an escape. Her mother looked up and smiled, she loved her daughter dearly and it broke her heart that she couldn't provide better for her. But she knew that Bella didn't blame her. Bella's mom got pregnant with Bella in the middle of her junior year of high school and when Bella's father skipped town she couldn't go back. Bella never blamed her mother for their situation, her father was a different story. She had never met her father but she hated him more than she hated every mean kid that she went to school with. Because of him, her mother had never been able to finish high school and wasn't able to fulfill her dream of going to college. He was the reason they had to struggle like they did and she hoped wherever he was he lay awake at night thinking about the mistake he made by leaving a pregnant 17 year old in a town like this.

"Good morning sweetie. How'd you sleep?" Her mother was looking up from her book and taking a sip of coffee. Bella loved seeing her mother like this. She didn't look worried about bills or the way her daughter was treated. For a moment it was almost as if they were just like the other families in this town. That moment didn't last long, however, when the lights suddenly went off. Bella sighed because she knew that she forgot to pay the electricity bill last night. If Rosalie hadn't bought their groceries the night before then they wouldn't have had electricity but because of her kindness they would be able to pay it today and get it turned back on. Her mother looked up and sighed again. It was always one thing or another with them. They never got a reprieve and it was starting to take its toll on her.

"I slept fine mom. At least we'll be able to pay the bill today. Just don't forget to do that today on your way to work." Bella went opened one of the cupboards and pulled out a bag of off brand cereal and poured herself a bowl. They couldn't afford milk so they had to eat it dry but it wasn't so bad. She had even grown to like the taste of the off brand cereals but it was still another reminder that they were poor and struggling just to make ends meet. They didn't have a TV or a computer because they couldn't afford cable but they made do with their books. Bella looked at the clock and almost fainted. She had woken up late and only had 30 minutes to make the hour long walk to school. She was going to be late, again. At least the school gave her a pass for being late. They knew her situation and couldn't really blame her for being late when she had to walk an hour just to get to school. She looked out the window and saw that it was raining and hung her head. She just couldn't catch a break. She got up from the table and put her bowl and spoon in the sink. She hugged her mom from behind and grabbed her bag from beside the door. "I love you mom. Have a good day at work!"

"I love you too, sweetie. Don't let those kids get to you. You're so much better than them." Bella just nodded her head and put her hood up as she stepped outside. She was going to be soaked by the time she made it to school but maybe she could see about changing in the gym before going to her first class. Just as she stepped out onto the road to begin her walk a red BMW pulled up next to her and the passenger window rolled down.

"Looks like you could use a ride. Hop in!" Bella stood there for a minute, bewildered about how Rosalie had pulled up exactly when she started walking to school. She shook her head and opened the car door and sat down in the passenger seat. It seemed Rosalie had a habit of showing up at just the right time but Bella wasn't going to complain. She really hadn't been happy about having to walk in the rain.

"Thank you, Rosalie. I don't know how I'm going to be able to pay you back for this and for yesterday." Bella blushed as she looked down at her hands in her lap. She hated feeling like a charity case but for some reason she felt like Rosalie wasn't doing this out of pity for her. She somehow felt that Rosalie was genuinely being nice to her and she didn't know how to handle that, she had never had anyone be nice to her out of anything other than pity.

"It's no problem at all, Bella and if you'll let me I'd like to pick you up from school every day. I don't like the fact that you have to walk because it's way too far for you to walk. Especially in this weather." Rosalie looked over at Bella and noticed that there were some holes in her jacket. She would never allow her mate to walk to school in this weather. She was painfully aware of how frail humans are and wouldn't let her mate put herself in danger. As Rosalie began to pull away from the curb she noticed that there weren't any lights on in Bella's trailer. That was another thing that worried her. If Bella and her mom couldn't afford to pay their bills that meant they had to do without sometimes. Rosalie had to find a way to help Bella and her mom out without them thinking it was charity. She would have to ask Alice what the best way to do it would be.

"You really don't have to do that, Rosalie. You've already done way too much for me. I can't make you go out of your way to come pick me up every morning. I'm sure you could use that time to sleep in." Bella blushed at the thought of Rosalie picking her up from her trailer every day and possibly finding out that they went without electricity or running water for days sometimes. She couldn't let Rosalie find out how poor she really was. If Rosalie did find out, Bella was sure she would begin to treat her the same as everyone else in the school did.

"I'm going to pick you up from school, got it? It's way too cold for you to be walking anyway. Now, on to other topics. What's your favorite band?" Rosalie was trying very hard to keep her possessiveness in check around Bella but she was making it extremely difficult but she was determined to remain normal in front of her mate until the time came to tell her the truth. But she would cross that bridge when she came to it. She could only hope that by then Bella would have fallen in love with her and wouldn't be too scared to continue to be with her. They pulled up to the school then, the crowd of kids hanging around under the walkway all stared at the red sports car as it pulled in to the parking lot and parked next to the silver Volvo they had discovered was the new kids' car.

The staring got even worse as Rosalie and Bella stepped out of the car. The kids assumed that the car must belong to one of the Cullen's but they didn't suspect that Bella would also be in the car. Among the kids staring was Lauren Mallory and she was seething. She was going to make that bitch Rosalie pay for embarrassing her and Bella would be put back in her place today as well. She turned and strutted into the school while Rosalie and Bella walked up to the doors. Someone in the crowd made the mistake of throwing an empty water bottle at Bella but somehow Rosalie caught it before it could hit her.

"Who threw this?" She was visibly seething with anger and her eyes had turned pitch black again. She crushed the bottle in her hand and tried to pick out who it was with her eyes. She finally found him, he was shaking and trying to edge his way behind his friend in an attempt to escape Rosalie's wrath. "You." Rosalie pointed towards him and the crowd parted so that there was no one between them. Mike Newton began to try and stutter out a response as Rosalie stalked towards him but he clamped his mouth shut as she came to stand directly in front of him. "If I ever see you throw anything at her again, or harass her in any way, I will kill you. Got it?" Mike nodded his head as fast as he could, for some reason he felt like if he angered Rosalie anymore his life would actually be in danger and no amount of amusement at Bella's expense was worth that much to him. "That goes for the rest of you as well. If I see or hear anyone making fun of Bella, they'll have to deal with me." With that, Rosalie walked back to Bella and grabbed her hand as she walked towards the doors. Bella was dumbstruck, still staring at Rosalie as they made their way to their first period English class.

"Rosalie…what was that?" Bella glanced back at where the other students were still standing and staring after them. What no one, other than Rosalie, had noticed was that Mike had wet himself while standing in front of Rosalie. She chuckled to herself thinking about the fear that had been radiating off of him. She wanted to kill him right then and there but that would have just created too many problems. She shook her head to get the idea of killing that weasel out of her mind. If she continued to think about that she wasn't sure she would be able to stop herself from going back and crushing his skull.

"I hate how these kids treat you and I'm not going to let them continue to abuse you like that. If I see anyone treating you like that, especially that girl from yesterday. I'll make sure they don't do it again." Rosalie noticed the moment Bella slipped her hand from her grasp and stopped to turn and look at her. Bella was staring down at her shoes and looked like she might cry at any moment.

"I don't need you to do this out of pity. I'm used to it now because it's been like this for as long as I can remember. I can handle it, I promise." Rosalie walked up to Bella and enveloped her in a tight hug. Bella breathed in Rosalie's scent and shuddered. Rosalie's scent calmed her down and made her feel safe. She didn't know what was happening to her but it wasn't like she could control it. She slipped her arms around Rosalie's waist and hugged her closer.

"I'm not doing this out of pity, Bella. I'm doing it because I care about you. Now let's get to class before we're late." Rosalie grabbed Bella's hand again and started to walk towards their class. As they walked in to the room the entire class looked up at them and as soon as Rosalie met their eyes they all looked down. No one wanted to get on her bad side after the show she put on with Mike. Mike was sitting in his desk and he tensed up as they passed him and did everything he could to avoid Rosalie's glare.

"Alright class, today we're going to be working in partners on a project that will be due in a few weeks. I'm going to start handing out the directions for it now. I want you to…" Rosalie began to tune out Ms. Banks after that. This was the perfect opportunity for her to get to know Bella better and start building a bond with her. Rosalie glanced over at Bella and caught her looking back. Bella blushed and looked down, embarrassed at being caught.

"You'll be my partner, won't you?" Rosalie made sure to throw in as much charm as she possessed and batted her eyelashes. Bella just nodded, dumbstruck. Rosalie flashed her most dazzling smile at her. In her head she was planning on how to convince Bella to come over to her house to work on this project, though she didn't think Bella would object too much. "Great! How about we hang out at my house tonight and get started on it? My mom will make us dinner and we may be able to get this thing knocked out way before it's due. That sound good to you?" Once again Bella just nodded. Rosalie's beast purred at the thought of having her mate at her house, in her room. She could barely keep the dirty thoughts from taking over her mind. Just as she was about to give in to her beast and claim her mate the bell rang, releasing them from class. "Will you sit with me and my family at lunch today?" Rosalie wanted Bella to meet and get comfortable with her siblings and tonight she would meet her parents.

"Is that really a good idea? Will they like me?" Rosalie could hear Bella's nervousness and it made her want to do nothing but give her a hug. Rosalie just chuckled and shook her head.

"Trust me, they'll love you. I'll be at your class to walk you there. See ya!" And with that Rosalie took off down the hall, leaving Bella to stare after her. She just shook her head and walked to her next class.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter was split in two because I don't want to make any of these go more than 5k and this was shaping up to be about 7. So I'll hopefully have the next chapter finished and up before the end of the weekend but don't hold me to anything. Stay frosty, friends!**


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